American Taylor Fritz suffered a shock first-round exit at the French Open on Monday, falling to Germany’s Daniel Altmaier in four sets.
Altmaier posted a 7-5, 3-6, 6-3, 6-1 victory over the fourth-seeded Fritz, making him the first major upset in the men’s draw at Roland-Garros. The defeat marks Fritz’s earliest French Open exit since 2018 and his earliest departure from any Grand Slam since the 2022 US Open.
“It was very special,” said Daniel Altmaier after earning his fifth career win over a top-10 opponent, according to the ATP Tour. “I think I’ve been working really hard these past weeks to build confidence and prepare for matches like this. I feel ready to take on anyone, and I’m really happy with this first win—I loved my performance today.”
The world No. 66 will face Vit Kopriva of the Czech Republic in the second round on Wednesday.
Taylor Fritz, who was runner-up to Jannik Sinner at last year’s US Open, has now endured back-to-back disappointing performances at Grand Slams this season. Monday’s defeat follows a third-round exit at the Australian Open in January.
Against Altmaier, Fritz struggled to capitalize on key opportunities, converting just one of five break points. He finished with 34 winners, including 14 aces, while Altmaier tallied 46 winners in a dominant performance.
Fritz, 27, wasn’t the only high-ranked American to fall early at Roland-Garros. In the women’s draw, ninth seed Emma Navarro suffered a lopsided 6-0, 6-1 loss to Spain’s Jessica Bouzas Maneiro in just 57 minutes.
